The impact of European research ethics legislation on UK radiology research activity: a bibliometric analysis

Aim

To determine whether there is evidence of a reduction in radiology research activity in the UK following the implementation of the European research ethics legislation, which came in to force in 2001 and has been widely criticised as an impediment to research.

Materials and methods

A bibliometric analysis was performed by searching PubMed for all first-author publications from UK departments of “radiology” or “medical imaging” between 1995 and 2007. Results were subcategorized into those papers published in the highest cited general radiology journals and by publication type: original research, reviews, and case reports.

Results

From 1995 to 2007 the total number of publications rose by 6.5% from 137 to 146 with the increase occurring in non-general radiology journals. Original articles fell from 18 in 1995 to 12 in 2003, but then rose to 24 by 2007 (33% rise). This dip was paralleled by a fall and then recovery in case report publications. The most dramatic change has been in the number of review articles, which has increased more than eightfold from seven in 1995 to 65 in 2007 to become the most common form of publication.

Conclusion

The overall number of original scientific articles, published by first-author UK radiologists, has increased slightly over the last 12 years despite a temporary fall associated with the introduction of new research ethics legislation.